It’s been a long first year of college. I’ve been tested mentally, physically, and emotionally at times on this small campus. I’ve met people I can’t imagine going a summer without, and I’ve met people that things can only get better with. I’ve tasted potential I didn’t see in myself with running, and I’ve also seen just how much I am my own enemy in running. I’ve seen the brotherhood I’ve always looked for in the miles on roads with my teammates, and the long weeks with my brothers. I’ve been made to think critically of the conservative values I’ve grown up with, and change them to traditional values. Little bit opposite then how most college students become more liberal. I’ve seen the stresses of a Wabash education, athletics, and fraternity pledgeship. Similarly I have seen the fruits of many of these labors, a more educated mind, and Socratic Method of looking at life’s questions. I came here a Biology Major, and I will enter my sophomore year as a Classical Studies Major and Religion Minor. After a long year, which would take too long to entirely look back on, I only have a summer of running, work, and reading standing between myself and another semester under her scarlet banner.

The recent “canonizations” of the man known as John Paul II and the man known as John XXIII are both very unique cases in how they came to be “canonized” by antipope Francis this past weekend. Karol Wojtyla (JPII) and Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (JXXIII) are known by the masses of people who abide to today’s Vatican as “reformers” who brought an end to “Catholic Militancy,” modernized the Catholic Faith, and brought the Church out of its “dark mysticism filled” past. In reality these two did more damage to the Catholic world than any other men since the previous antipopes of the 15th century.

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli has serious evidence standing against him to this day that shows that the conclave that “elected” him was tampered with and illegal in 1958. Making him not a truly elected pope, similarly with the evidence of being a Freemason, which due to its ecumenical goals is forbidden by the Catholic Church and in direct opposition to the Church’s teachings. Similarly his calling of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) is the most disastrous and heretical councils to ever bring its plague upon the True Catholic Church. Proceeding the 1960s new Catholic parishes were opening every year, the Jesuit seminaries saw 4000 new seminarians a year, convents were open and saw a large number of women answering religious vocations, 3/4 Catholic families attended Mass (the valid Latin Mass) every single Sunday, and 78% of all Catholic laity believed in the True Presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. Catholic schools were opening in twice their number of enrollment every year, children learned the Catechism of the Catholic Church to the detail as was taught, scandal within the Church was at a major low, their were only 400 Catholic annulments worldwide pro-1960 (by 1969 there we over 40,000 annulments in the U.S. alone). After Vatican II’s new theology was taught abortions by Catholic women rose to 30% of all abortions committed (even though Catholics make up 10% of the population at the time). Shortly after Vatican II 40,000 priests left the Church, within 12 years the number of nuns entering convents declined by 99.7%, the number of seminarians declined by 98% (the Jesuits went from 3,800 in 1958 to 30 in 2013), 1/4 of Catholic families regularly attends Mass (the invalid Novus Ordo Mass) weekly today, 33% of Catholics in the world believes the Eucharist to be Truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ and not just a symbol today, and scandal within clergy loyal to the today’s Vatican has skyrocketed today. Sidenote: pedophilia and child assault by clergy of the Catholic Church is 3x times less than the American public school system alone, and is less than that of Protestant ministers involved in child assault. Catechism is no longer directly taught to the youth, and where it is it is extremely watered-down, over 80% of nuns are the age of 70 with no new youth coming in to replace them, most priests are of the same age. While Latin Mass parishes today still see women wearing mantillas in proper dress, men in suits, large Catholic families obviously not using contraceptives or abortion, and growing numbers, Novus Ordo parishes continue to see lowering laity numbers, fewer priests and seminarians, improper dress for worship and adoration of God, and irreverence in the church. So how can a man directly in charge, leading the start of, and orchestrating something that has caused so much destruction to the Church become a saint of the Catholic Church? On top of teaching false doctrines that are not of the Faith, who was not a legally elected pope, and Freemason become a Catholic saint if he is not Catholic? Not mention how can a man who is not a pope (Francis) canonize anyone to begin with.

Karol Wojtyla covered up a number of pedophilia cases, gave political sanctuary within the Vatican to certain offenders of children and seminarians, oppressed Catholics with traditional beliefs and faith in the Tridentine (Latin) Mass, openly travelled the world and participated in religious pagan ceremonies, sat in a throne with an inverted cross on it, disgraced Assisi with ecumenical sacrilege upon its altar, was a major speaker and force at the Second Vatican Council, and wrote a number of papal papers that were heretical to the Catholic Faith. The one thing that can truly be brought to his actions as positive was the way he helped influence the fall of Communism. He also had the shortest time after death till being “canonized” a saint, which the amount of time, investigation, and “miracles” were all high questionable, too quickly “validated,” and done against Canon Law. Once again, how can someone who does not believe in the valid doctrines and dogmas of the Catholic Church be a Catholic, and furthermore how can he be a pope? Thus, how can he be made a Catholic saint?

What is seen very quickly from these “canonizations” has almost nothing to do with the two men’s actions, but rather what is seen is a political statement. By “canonizing” Karol and Angelo antipope Francis and Modernists have “canonized” the Second Vatican Council. These two men are known for their involvement with the council and the “spirit of the council” in the following years. By declaring them saints Modernists are trying to make religious/political propaganda that endorses Vatican II. What we find is not a ceremony done in the name of the “holiness” of these two men, but a political move made to pacify the masses of those who believe Rome to still be Catholic. This is most compelling by the lack of substantial evidence towards miracles attributed to either men, and the number of corners cut to “canonize” John Paul II so quickly.

Last night my pledge brother Lucas David Myrna’17 and I were initiated into the Psi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta (aka FIJI). I can’t really say much more than I am happy to finally be a member of one of the greatest FIJI chapters in the world! Can’t wait to see how the next 3 years play out as a Phi Gamm, and for the incoming pledges of FIJI Class of 2018 to come in this Fall. Looking forward to this great new section of my life!

On Holy Thursday myself and several other Catholics decided to go to Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Indianapolis to partake in the Latin Mass. Afterwards, I proceed to go spend the night at Butler University with some friends (a Wabash student going out on a school night?!), and then get back to classes the next morning (FREAKING 4AM). Now as I write this blog I am stranded at Butler… That’s right, stranded. It’s Easter Weekend, I have to be down the road in Westfield with my family later, and I decided to just surprise some friends by dropping by Butler. However, being the man I am, filled with such vast knowledge, masculinity, maturity, and planning skills…I forgot that everyone went home for Easter. So after some strangers let me crash at their dorm last night, I am now approaching four hours of sitting outside with all my Easter clothes, doing homework, and occasionally getting a short hello from an acquaintance. I’m hungry, cold, warm, broke, and I don’t want to call my mom for help. Okay, all of that is false except for the broke, hungry, and I don’t want to call my mom part.

I’m now going to try and use that legendary Wabash Man charm and get someone to buy me some Starbucks. Wish me luck, readers.

This weekend was Phi Gamma Delta’s Psi Chapter FIJI Island party. Being one of the biggest, if not the biggest, function of the year. An event that a large portion of Wabash Men and visiting females attend; and I do mean a lot of females.

My pledge father’s girlfriend, my pledge mother, Caroline

We make two large sandpits in our parking lot, a tent, DJ with lasers , a volleyball net, and make it an island theme. On top of this, during the week we host our faculty dinner with libations for the faculty, and proceed to put on that FIJI swagger in hopes of making our professors love us even more. We participated in the Sets on the Beach volleyball tournament, hosted by Phi Kappa Psi, and I believe won it; maybe.